Cricket: Injury gives McMillan another crack

Craig McMillan

Craig McMillan's not-so-long wait for another chance in the international arena will end today when New Zealand square off against the World XI at Wellington's Cake Tin.

Dropped for the series against Sri Lanka, the seasoned right-hander was recalled to the squad as cover for the injured Jacob Oram, and will take his place in today's playing XI at the expense of Scott Styris.

Styris has been rested, a move that allows the selectors to assess the mood and form of McMillan at international level and to consider what he might offer in the upcoming series against Australia.

The change means Hamish Marshall will move up a place in the batting order to No 4, enabling McMillan to slot in at No 5, just ahead of Chris Cairns, Brendon McCullum and Daniel Vettori.

Resting Styris also means the selectors will have another chance to ponder the merits of Jeff Wilson, the double-international who on Saturday made a decent fist of his first cricket international since 1993.

Expensive at the start of his spell, Wilson settled down to bowl reasonably well when he came back into the attack, and was rewarded with the wicket of former England craftsman Graeme Hick.

Possibly the most encouraging aspect of Wilson's return was his relatively surprising turn of pace, the Otago right-armer hurrying up the opposition batsmen on occasion, with one 136km/h delivery proving the quickest of the match.

With Oram injured and likely to be out for some time, it could be that Wilson will be considered as a replacement for the series against Australia, alongside other third-seamer rivals such as Kyle Mills, Andre Adams and James Franklin.

Wilson might not have the same batting capacity as Oram, but as a front-line bowler who can score useful runs down the order he may well prove one of the more handy options.

From a sceptic's point of view, his domestic form has hardly demanded inclusion in the New Zealand side, but the same could also be said of Hamish Marshall, now one of the most consistent players in the side.

What's more, Wilson is one of the few pacemen in New Zealand who can wake up in the morning after a long spell of bowling the previous day, feel no pain or stiffness and look forward to another tough work-out.

Apparently in line to play alongside Jonah Lomu in a testimonial rugby match in England in June, Wilson may yet find himself holding a full NZ Cricket contract by the end of the summer, in which case the footie plans may have to be shelved.